'Pay teachers more for the students' sake'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Councilors urged the municipality yesterday to
\nreview the city's policies on teachers' salaries and involuntary
\ndeductions.<\/p>\n
Councilors Lukman Mokoginta from the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty (PDI) faction and Soeparmo from the dominant Golkar said a
\ndrastic salary increase was needed to ensure the nation had
\nprofessional educators.<\/p>\n
Lukman said the basic salary for teachers should be at least
\n10 times higher than the current rate of Rp 152,500 (US$44.20)
\nper month for a beginner teaching the lower grades.<\/p>\n
\"How can they teach their students appropriately if the
\nteachers have to keep thinking how to earn more money?\" he said
\nafter a plenary session at City Council yesterday.<\/p>\n
Like their colleagues throughout the country, Jakarta
\nteachers, particularly state employees, have learned to live on
\nthe tiny payments. And instead of complaining, most teachers --
\nwho commemorated National Teacher's Day last week -- prefer to
\nmoonlight.<\/p>\n
Lukman questioned the ability of teachers to devote their
\nattention to students when their loyalties were torn between
\nearning enough money to live and their professional obligations.<\/p>\n
The victims of a teacher's diverted attention were the
\nstudents, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Teachers would do their job properly if they received better
\nremuneration,\" Lukman, from Commission D for development affairs,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Being a teacher nowadays is synonymous with small salaries
\nand living a hard life. That's why many teachers spend their
\nspare time as ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers or newspaper
\nsellers, just to earn more money for living.\"<\/p>\n
Councilor Soeparmo, head of Commission E for welfare affairs,
\nagreed with his colleague's sentiment.<\/p>\n
\"If we want to improve the quality of our teachers, the most
\nimportant thing we have to do is 'fill their stomachs' first.\"<\/p>\n
He also criticized the city's unfair treatment of teachers,
\nparticularly the imposition of various levies on their salary and
\nincentive bonuses.<\/p>\n
\"There are already too many 'illegal' levies,\" Soeparmo said,
\nurging the municipality to stamp out such immoral acts.<\/p>\n
Several school principals said recently that they had to pay
\nlevies for last month's SEA Games and the money was deducted from
\ntheir pay for at least six months beforehand.<\/p>\n
\"It was a real burden for us because our salary is already
\nsmall,\" one of the principals said at the time.<\/p>\n
In order to create a better school environment, Lukman also
\nurged the municipality to revoke Gubernatorial Decree
\nNo.1774\/1987 which states that an elementary school plot should
\nbe between 2,000 square meters and 3,000 square meters.<\/p>\n
\"Those kind of measurements are no longer suitable for an
\nelementary school,\" he said. \"The plot for such a school should
\nbe at least 5,000 square meters, which includes facilities such
\nas sports fields and a cultural hall.\" (07)<\/p>",
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